Flour sifter



16, 1938. c. ANDREWS ET AL' 2,125,982

FLOUR S IFTER Filed March 29, 1935 Patented Aug. 16, 1938 Y UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE Charles Andrews and Wilbur. Hannon, Rockford, Ill., assignors to The Washburn Company, Warcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachuse 5.

Application March 29, 1935, Serial No. 13,686

Claims. (Cl. 209-358) This invention relates to sifters generally, and be painted black to stand out in sharp contrast is particularly concerned with improvements in to the tinned sheet metal body. The upper band flour sifters for domestic use. In also serves to conceal the lugs M on the cross- The principal object of the invention is to probar [5 which project through slots l6 in the side vide a flour sifter of simpler and more durable wall of the body 5 and are bent over, as indiconstruction than has been available in the past, cated in Fig- In that ay, nothing to and one which presents a better appearance, tract from the appearance of the sifter is left One of the important features is the novel conexposed. struction whereby the handle is fastened to the The bar I5 is of sheet metal and made V- cylindrical body of the sifter by encircling bands shaped. in cross-section for rigidity. It has a so as to fasten the handle more firmly and, at the center hole therein to provide a pp bearing same time, actually reenforce the sifter, instead within the body 5 for the shaft l6, whose lower of placing a'strain upon the sheet metal body portion beers in grommets in the sieves thereof. One of the bands serves moreover to The lower portion of the shaft is flattened to cover up the bent-over lugs of a cross-bar where drive ag a held e d y in engagement the bar is fastened to the side walls, thus leavwi the Screens 0f the SieVeS y Coiled p ing nothing exposed to detract from the appearsion springs 20, in' the manner set forth in our ance of the sifter. copending application Serial No. 740,607, filed The invention is illustrated in the accompany- August 20, 1934. The springs forthe bottom ing drawing, in whichand middle sieve bear against the grommets ll 20 Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and of the adjacent sieve, but the longer'spring 2| partly in central vertical section of a flour sifter for the upper S e eXtendS p to the Cress-her made in accordance with the invention; 15 for its abutment. The body of each sieve is Fig. 2 is a sectional detail on the line 2 -2 of formed by a s eet eta r o oop as Fig. 1, and closed in the other application, the rings being 5 Fig. 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of disposed in stacked relation, in edge to edge abut- Fig. 1. v ment to one another circumferentially. An an- The same reference numerals are applied to nular external groove 23 is formed in the b y corresponding parts in these views. 5 to provide an internal annular shoulder for The sifter comprises asubstantially cylindrical abutment with the ring 22 O the p SieVe, sheet metal body or container 5, open at the top whereby locate the sieves as Shown The and bottom, and arranged to have a U-shaped ermost annular bead ll provides an internal hande 6 fastened to one side thereof so that the annular groove 24 b h e ring 22 0f the sifter can be operated b means of the knob to eve, and a spring yp a e 25 is 7 while it is held by the handle, in the usual way. ranged t compressed suffieiently to enter the The handle, in accordance with this invention, bottom of the sifterand to then expand into the has its ends a and 9 abutting the side of the body, gr v 24 to releasebIy secure the i v in p and two sheet metal bands [0 and II encircle the The retainer 25, in accordance with the present body between pa rs of outwardly projecting an invention, is of spring Wire construction bent into nular beads l0 and II, respectively, formed on a triangular or heart shape with the free ends 26 the body, the bands having their ends bent outcrossed at the apex of the triangle and welded wardly, as indicated at 12, and suitably secured at 21. The free ends are thus spaced enough to to opposite sides of the handle, as by rivets 13. receive the seam l l therebetween'when this por- The bands are drawn tightly onto the body to tion of'theretainer is inserted in the groove 24, prevent turning relative thereto, and, in that thus holding the retainer against turning within 4.? way, serve to reenforce the body, the seam of the body 5. The two arcuate portions 28 at the which appears at 14. The annular beads l0 base of the triangle are connected by an arcuate and H prevent displacement of the bands up or base portion 29. The retainer can be quickly down relative to the body, at the same time and easily entered and as easily removed, alshielding the cut edges of the sheet metal bands. though it holds the sieves securely in place once The resulting Structure presents a Pleasing and it is properly entered. To insert the retainer, a ve pp p i ly h n the b n s one merely places the ends 26 in'the groove 24, and handle are made in a color or finish to match straddling the seam I4, whereupon the rest of the one another and in contrast to the body 5. For retainer is pressed into the bottom of the sifter example, the bands l0 and II and handle 6 may and snapped into the groove. The arcuate portion 29 gives sufficiently in this operation to allow the small amount of compression required to slide the retainer into place, and the retainer snaps into the groove due to its expansion. In the removal of the retainer, one need only force the arcuate portion 29 in the direction of the apex 21 enough to draw the portions 28 of the retainer toward each other to disengage one or both of these portions from the groove 24, whereupon the retainer is removable. Then, upon removal of the cotter pin 30 from the lower end of the shaft IS, the sieves l8 can be removed. The fact that the ends of the wire forming the retainer 25 are welded at 21 insures permanence of form and the desired spring action at all times.

The knob 7, as clearly appears in Fig. 1, is rotatably secured to the crank end 3| of the shaft 46. The knob is of wood, or any other suitable material, and has an axial bore 32 large enough to freely receive the flattened or upset end 33 of the shaft. A short sleeve 34 is rotatable on the end (ii of, the shaft and retained by the portion 33 thereof. The sleeve is formed to provide a fluted portion 35, which, when the knob 1 is pressed down onto the sleeve 34, cuts grooves in the knob so as to fasten the knob securely onto the sleeve and leave no likelihood of the knob working loose. This fastening for the knob leaves nothing of objectionable appearance exposed, and the knob is at the same time freely rotatable and yet very securely held in place.

We claim:

1. In a sifter having av vertically disposed rotary drive shaft, the combination of a substantially cylindrical sheet metal body open at the top and bottom, a cross-member. within said body adjacent the top thereof providing bearing support for. the shaft and having end portions extending through and secured to theside walls of said body, a handle having an end portion to'be fastened to said body, and a, sheet metal handle mounting hand secured to said handle and encircling the body, in substantially the same plane with the aforesaid cross-member and covering the projecting end portions thereof to conceal the same.

2. In a sifter having a vertically disposed rotary drive shaft, the combination of a substantially cylindrical sheet metal body open at the top and bottom, a cross rnember within said body adjacent the top thereof providing bearing support for the shaft and having end portions extending through and secured to the side walls of said body, a handle having an end portion to be fastened to said body, and a sheet metal handle mounting band secured to said handle andencircling, the body in substantially the same plane, with the aforesaid cross-member and covering the projecting end portions thereof to conceal the same, said body being formed to provide an outwardly projecting annular bead above and in circumferential engagement with the upper edge of said band, for, the purpose described.

3. In a sifter having avertically disposed rotary drive shaft, the combination of a substantially cylindrical sheet metal body open at the top and bottom, a cross-member within said body adjacent the top thereof providing bearing support for the shaft and having end portions extending through and secured to the side walls of said body, a handle having an end portion to be fastened to said body, and a sheet metal handle mounting band secured to said handle and encircling the body in substantially the same plane with the aforesaid cross-member and covering the projecting end portions thereof to conceal the same, said body being formed to provide outwardly projecting annular beads above and below the band and in circumferential engagement with the edges thereof, for the purpose described.

4. In a sifter, the combination of a substantially cylindrical sheet metal body open at the top and bottom, plural removable sieves each comprisinga circular sheet metal ring fitting slidably in said body and supporting a screen in transverse relation to said body, the rings being arranged in edge to edge relation whereby to space the screens vertically in said body, means engaging the upper sieve ring to prevent upward displacement of the sieves in.the body, a handle having spaced end portions for attachment to the outside of the body, handle mounting bands secured to the end portions of the handle and encircling the body, saidbody being formed to provide an annular outwardly projecting beadin engagement with the lower band to prevent longitudinal displacement of the band relative to the body, said bead providing an internal annular groove in a plane below the lower sieve ring, and means removably engaged in said groove and abutting the bottom of the lower sieve ring to retainthe several sieves in place in said body.

5. In a sifter, the combination of a substantially. cylindrical sheet metal body open at the top and bottom, a pluralityof removable sieves each comprising a circular sheet metal ring fitting slidably. in said .bodyand supporting a screen in transverse relation thereto, the rings being arranged in. edge-to, edge mutual supporting relation whereby to space the screens vertically in said body, said body; being formed to provide an annular inwardly projecting bead above the uppermost sieve in, engagement with the. upper edge of the ring thereof. to prevent upward displacement of thestack of sieves in thebody, a handle having spaced end portions for attachment to the outside of the body, bands encircling the body and having end portions secured to the end portions of .said handle, said body being formed to provide annular outwardly projectingbeads above and below the lower. band to prevent longitudinal displacement of the band relative to the body, one of said beads providing an internal annular groove in a plane belowthelower sieve ring, and means removably engaged in said groove and abutting the bottom of the lower sieve ring to retain the several sieves inplace in said body.

CHARLES ANDREWS. WILBUR HANNON.

Lil

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. I Patent No. 2,126,982. August 16, 1958.

CHARLES ANDREWS, ET AL.

, It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2 first column, line 1 .2, claim 1, for the word "hand" read band; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of November, A. D. 1958.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

